SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – As students head back to the classroom, 7NEWS spoke with three Upstate superintendents about how students can succeed this school year.
Superintendents from Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson Counties about the impact a growing region is having on packed area schools, the ways parents can help their students succeed in the new year, the continued issues surrounding mental health and our children and more.
Spartanburg School District 5 Superintendent Dr. Randall Gary said, “Please do not minimize the impact of things outside of school, and the impact they’re having on your child, things that have happened in the community things that are happening on social media.
He said verbal engagement is very important not only for your child’s academics but also for their social lives.
Dr. Gary said, “That’s very important in establishing and maintaining that relationship, and making sure that your parents can see you as a partner of the school.”
Anderson School District Four Superintendent Mr. Dee Christopher said “All the schools have kind of, you know, raise the bar on what they’re doing” as students are facing mental health challenges from inside and outside of school.
All three counties have mental health counselors available at each school.
However, Greenville County Schools are in a pilot program this year to expand its ability to offer all services to all students. Officials found that students who were not eligible for Medicaid or insurance that covered mental health “were kind of falling through the cracks.”
Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster said, “We’re working in kind of a new way to do some of this internally, to try to make certain that we can cover the mental health needs for all of our students, regardless of whether they can qualify for Medicaid or their insurance provides coverage.”
Watch Amy Wood’s full interview with Dr. Burke Royster of Greenville County Schools, Dr. Randall Gary of Spartanburg School District 5 and Mr. Dee Christopher with Anderson School District 4 below:
